Explosivebreakaway, the full brother to the stakes filly Phaetosive, got to the lead in the last 50 feet to edge Icanflylikeanangel and win Saturday's $17,200 trotting feature at The Downs at Mohegan Sun Pocono in 1:53, within a fifth of his lifetime mark despite temperatures hovering in the low to mid 50s.
Tom Jackson worked out a second-over trip with the Explosive Matter gelding behind favoured Scirocco Rob, who battled hard with pacesetting Icanflylikeanangel down the backstretch and through the far turn. When the uncovered horse tired, Jackson moved wide with Explosivebreakaway, and pocketsitter Warrior One took his shot up the Pocono Pike, but Explosivebreakaway got the photo finish camera’s nod by a nose, with Warrior One another neck back in third.
Fred Grant trains the winner, 13 of 29 lifetime with earnings of $198,464, and he is co-owner along with Janice Rubin, Steve Katz, and Murray Brown.
In the $14,000 co-featured trot, the hard-closing mare Broadway Athena also used second-over tactics to take her third win in her last four starts, going by first-over Southwind Avenger by 1-1/4 lengths in a 1:53.2 mile. Anthony Napolitano drove the Broadway Hall mare for trainer Gilbert Garcia-Herrera and owner/son Gilbert Garcia-Owen.
The pacing highlight was a $16,000 claiming handicap event, in which the Captaintreacherous gelding Major Deception paid immediate dividends to owner Joseph Riad and trainer Marc Mosher by winning his first start after being claimed in 1:50.4. This race also looked like it might go to the second-over horse, as Burning Midnight tipped off the cover of first-up Major Deception to provide a late challenge, but Major Deception, guided by Anthony Napolitano, showed courage to take a nose decision while joining the Six-Figure Winners Club.
In all Anthony Napolitano had three winners on the day to lead all other drivers, and he continued his recent torrid streak of local sulky success -- he has now had 29 victories over the last seven cards at The Downs.
(PHHA / Pocono)